Obama Wants to Push America's Power Grid Into The 21st Century

President Barack Obama has been pushing for more alternative energy initiatives during his time in the White House. He pledged to spend more on renewable energy research, attempted to get states to reduce carbon emissions, and even teamed up with perfect head of hair and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau to curb greenhouse gas pollution. Thanks, Obama.

On Thursday, the Obama Administration announced a number of initiatives that plan to help the country transition to a smart, more energy efficient, 21st century power grid.

The White House is proposing a number of new executive actions and 33 state and private sector commitments are proposed to “result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of additional storage procurement or deployment in the next five years”.

A “smart grid”, according to the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability, is a system that uses computer-based remote control and communication technologies to help utility workers to monitor and gather data. It’s used in other industries, but has only recently been introduced in things such as power plants and wind farms.

Along with releasing a report that goes over the number of opportunities for energy storage technologies, while increasing the federal government’s storage capacity, the Administration also stated it will be making military bases more efficient, providing funding for microgrids in rural areas, and standardising to more transparent energy data.

Additionally, power companies committed to using smart meters, water heaters, and demand response programmes. A number of leading grid operators, including those from Massachusetts and California, also announced new projects and targets for states’ energy portfolios.

If these plans come to fruition, the industry could greatly increase energy efficiency, leading the way for other industries to follow. This is great for consumers who could potentially save money on their electricity bills, and for innovators in communication and technology fields.

You can see the full list of companies and developers investing in this technology here. [GovTech]